One thing that is very important to realize BEFORE entering Jakarta is that the toilet paper isn’t flushable. This is especially important to those of you who might not want to clog the office toilet on your first day of work when you are trying to make a good impression on your coworkers. Also (and this is just a thought and NOT based on personal experience), if you are the only foreigner on your floor and you clog the toilet with toilet paper on your first day of work, everyone will probably think that it was you. This is why it’s very important to instead clog the toilet on your fellow CAPI intern’s floor so that you are less likely to receive the blame.
This will sound corny. But I really couldn’t believe it when I landed in Jakarta. I remember being totally in awe when looking out of the window from inside the cab as fellow CAPI intern Claire and I left the airport, entranced with the city but eager to pass out in our hotel room after our three long flights. The headlights of countless motorcycles and billboard screens advertising in a language unfamiliar to me lit up the highway, exposing the massive palm and banana trees towering over sound barriers on either side. Next to each other in the back seat, either out of exhaustion or disbelief, we sat in silence and just… watched.
And so began our journey! It’s already been a little over a month, and I’m happy to say that I feel like I’ve settled in very well. This is completely attributable to the support I’ve received from CAPI, Claire, and everyone at the Centre for Indonesian Policy Studies (CIPS). Everybody I’ve met so far in Jakarta has been incredibly kind and helpful as well. It’s very nice having some direction when you enter a country new to you, and a job will do just that. I’m here in Jakarta working for CIPS, a non-partisan think tank that produces research and evidence based policy recommendations. It is a hybrid work environment, so we work part-time at the office and part-time remotely. I love everyone. Everyone is the best. Everyone loves to laugh. I like my coworkers a lot. At first, Claire and I were assigned a few jobs here and there, including cleaning up excel spreadsheets and other classic office tasks. Things shook up for us a bit on May 22-23, when CIPS launched an event that had been in production long before we arrived; Bekal Mapan! It was the premiere of Besok Kita Nanem Lagi (Tomorrow We Plant Again), a documentary created by people at CIPS about small scale farmers in Indonesia across generations. It was a two day event with multiple screenings, Q&A panels, and a photography exhibition paying tribute to small-scale farmers across Indonesia that CIPS staff met with and interviewed. All of us were at the venue for almost 12 hours, both Friday and Saturday, and Claire and I helped with setting up, taking down, and welcoming and guiding visitors to the event. It was exhausting for everyone, but it was so fun getting to know everybody. Spending two straight days with my coworkers was a very effective icebreaker.
Although I had been told that as an intern at CIPS, I have the freedom to jump on projects that pique my interest and that I can take on as much work as I choose, I was nervous to do so at first. I wasn’t sure how to approach people about projects, what kind of work they would expect from me, and what value I could even offer. It’s not like I intentionally arrived into the country knowing nothing; I did a bit of research about the current political unrest, the unpopular Prabowo Subiyanto administration, some of the country’s history, and downloaded duolingo again. But I still don’t know SQUAT about Indonesia compared to… uhhh… INDONESIAN PEOPLE! Especially Indonesian policy analysts! But everyone is very understanding, and the research and work has been fascinating. Right now, Claire and I are working on a short policy brief about how the closure of the strait of Hormuz affects food security in Indonesia, and what policies the national government can implement to ease costs and ensure equitable food distribution across the country. I also volunteered to be a part of a research project with Southern Voice on Global Development; a group of think tanks with organizations from countries across the world. It’s been very interesting, and I am so lucky to be able to research these issues in collaboration with these organizations.
Okay, enough about work! Let’s talk about… the weather maybe?
We arrived in Jakarta during a heatwave. I figured that the 35°C+ temperature was normal, so I tried to maintain a brave face in front of my coworkers. My coworker Alif asked me if the heat was okay for me, and I responded with an obvious lie. “It’s not too bad!” I smiled, my face visibly dripping with sweat, my clothes rendered completely unusable until their next laundromat visit. He laughed and told me he thought the weather was extremely hot, even for Indonesia. As it turned out, the heatwave was dubbed even by news reporters as El Nino Godzilla, which is just as daunting as it sounds.
PLEASE don’t get me wrong. I love soup. And hot noodles. And spice. But it takes some getting used to being in a tropical country where sometimes it feels like the only food around that you can find is hot soup or hot and spicy or hot and spicy and soupy. One thing that helps is that the food is also delicious. During our second week at the office I ordered food which was delivered to me from an Indonesian restaurant widely known in Jakarta called Pagi Sore, which serves traditional Padang dishes. I ordered Beef Rendang, which some of my coworkers told me they loved. It’s slow cooked beef with a coconut milk and spice curry. It’s so, so, so good. But SPICY! At least it is to me. I didn’t realize it right away because of how tasty it was, but the heat started building up QUICK. I got up while eating it and assured Claire that I was fine, and that I just needed to run across the street immediately and get ice cream.
Other than work, I have been exploring, taking Indonesian lessons, and getting to and fro on the train and on the back of grab drivers’ motorcycles. It feels so cool threading through traffic, and I’ve taken bikes enough times now that I have finally figured out how to take the helmet off BY MYSELF. (This is true!)
I am truly loving Jakarta. It’s a bustling city with tons to do, at any time of day. I’m incredibly grateful to my coworkers and new friends that have offered their time, generosity, and kindness to show me places in and around the city. The people I have met in Jakarta are the reason I feel so happy here. It’s hard to believe how much has happened in just a month, and I cannot wait for the months to come.
